What is the most aggressive, growly string out there?

[Phat Ham]

I play in a band where i'm competing against two distorted guitars. I'm playing a Yamaha Attitude Limited (think P-bass on steroids) and last weekend put on a set of Rotosound swing bass strings (the Billy Sheehan set). Those strings sounded absolutely awesome at band practice. Very aggressive in the mids and really cut through the mix. But after a few days the A string was dead. From the searches I've done it seems this is common for rotosound strings: short lifespan and inconsistent between strings. I put on a set of Dean Markley Blue Steels last night and wanted to take them off as soon as I put them on. They didn't have any of the aggressiveness of the Rotosounds. Just too polite for me.

My question for you guys is, what strings out there have that aggressiveness that'll cut through the mix? I don't want warm. I don't want smooth. I want "I'm gonna beat you up and sleep with your girlfriend" aggressive.

[poor_gear_whore]

Try prosteels.

[lug]

Originally Posted by poor_gear_whore

Try prosteels.

agreed

[bassman1185]

You might try DR Black Beauties or Bootzillas. The BBs have a bit more of a subdued treble, but very growly, grindy mids. The Bootzillas are brighter and more zingy sounding.

[Creese]

I've found the same thing w/ Roto's. Great tone out of the envelope but deader than a doornail in a few weeks. DR Low Riders died quickly too (never again).

I've found that the next best thing (for me) are Warwick Black Labels.

On my list of things to try are SR2000's and DR Long Necks.

Good luck, I'll be watching this thread!

[BrandonBass]

Try DR hi beams, they are almost as bright as rotosounds but last longer.

bluesteels was pretty aggresive when i put them on too...but seems like they didnt work for you eh

[Bassist4Life]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

Try DR hi beams, they are almost as bright as rotosounds but last longer.

+1

[DavePlaysBass]

La Bella Hard Rockin steels keep there edge for a while.

I think the Sadowsky Steels where quite aggressive. Maybe more so than the La Bellas.

I like Pro Steels the first time I played them, but I bought a second set and they felt really rough relative to other strings I have been using.

Dave

[Justyn]

I put a set of Fodera SS on one of my basses a while back and they were super bright and stayed that way for a good long time.

I'd also suggest spending some time tweaking the midrange of your amp to find settings that cut through in a band setting. Every string is going to lose it's brightness and edge eventually, and though there are clearly some brands that hold their edge longer, I think EQ, particularly in the midrange, is going to help you to cut through consistently.

Jp

[Dincrest]

When it comes to Markleys I prefer the SR2000s to the Blue Steels. Blue Steels start off bright and clangy, but become mud in a week. I once had a set of SR2000s on a bass that sat in a closet for a couple of years and even when dead, they had a nice rawness to the sound.

I thought DR nickel Lo-Riders had a nice growl to their sound so I can only imagine that the Lo-Riders steels would sound even more aggressive.

Plus, DR strings seem to last forever.

I still have yet to try D'Addario ProSteels, but from what I've heard, they're D'Addario's take on the Rotosound vibe.

Best of luck on your string hunt. I'm on a similar string hunt myself. For a while I used SIT Silencers on my Warwick and though they're fantastic strings (super smooth and warm), I'm looking for something that can really bring out the beast in my bass.

[Lorenzini]

Prosteels. The worst string I've ever tried because it was IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of the grindy, pinginess.

Probably exactly what you want.

[Superpang]

How about Dr. Fat beams?